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Rush Chronicles - The DVD Collection

Rush Chronicles - The DVD Collection

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Rush proves incapable of transcending the 80's cheese
Review: I bought this DVD without too many expectations, but I was still slightly disappointed by the quality of the videos. This isn't a comment on the DVD production (which is weak), but the direction and concepts in the videos themselves.

While other reviewers might clamor for live footage, I'd honestly be far happier with an attempt to show video that somehow related to the content of the song -- the video for "The Trees" was particularly pathetic, featuring only footage of a forest in the fade-in and fade-out at the ends of the video.

I haven't had a chance to view all of the videos on the disc yet, but everything up to Moving Pictures is essentially the same thing, with bumpers at the beginning and end, and bland concert footage in the middle. Subdivisions really seems to be the first attempt at making a good video that relates to the song, and while it's very simplistic, its simplicity works well for it, making it seem very earnest. The rest of the videos really just look like a progression of 80's music video cheese, with the weirdly brightly colored sets in "The Big Money", and the "check out my blue screen" effects in "Time Stand Still".

While I expected this to a certain degree, I was still hoping that the artfulness of Rush's music (and Neil Peart's lyrics) would somehow still come through. Still, the music's great, if poorly mastered at points (the fact that the relative volume of the guitars changes in the early videos when they change cameras is particularly absurd) and if you don't come in expecting too much, the videos can be fun.

And, if all else fails, you can always marvel at how much Alex Lifeson looks like Kiefer Sutherland.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This is a start.
Review: I love this DVD. It has all the videos of the songs that are during the timeline of the album. I would love to see all of their home videos come out on DVD, and supposedly they are except for Different Stages, sometime during the first half of this year. One thing I want to point out about this DVD is that it doesnt automatically play all the tracks in a row. You have to go to the options menu to set it on that mode. The reason I only gave it 4 stars is because these facts, but otherwise a must-have for the RUSH enthusiast!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally, a DVD from the gods of (progressive) rock
Review: This review may admittedly be a bit biased, taken from the viewpoint that I consider Rush to be without doubt the greatest band in the history of music. Yes, that's quite a statement, but have you heard these guys play? I mean really LISTENED to them? They are each phenomenal musicians and unsurpassed virtuosos on their respective instruments. That being said, I shall now rate this DVD.

First of all, it must be known that the DVD is far superior to the VHS tape. The most notable improvement is that the DVD contains two songs, "The Enemy Within" and "Afterimage", not contained within the original VHS. Other improvements include the usual increase in picture clarity and sound quality that discs have over tapes. However, the sound quality is perhaps not as much improved over the VHS as one might normally think. The reason for this I can't really say, but considering that the original VHS had fairly good sound quality already, this is not that big of a point, nor is it a detriment to the DVD.

The inherent reliability of discs over tapes makes this, in my mind, a good purchase for anyone even slightly interested in the band. Also, the fact that it is THIS band should remove any doubt as to its quality. Rush is well known for their tendency to strive to achieve perfection, and the songs presented here are no exception. A very good lineup is presented with old favorites such as "Tom Sawyer" and "Closer to the Heart" and less well known, though very good, tracks like "Distant Early Warning", "Lock and Key", and "Red Sector A". Some of my personal favorites that bring perhaps the greatest joy to me in viewing are "The Trees", "Subdivisions", and "Limelight". The latter, by the way, is particularly well done. Several split screens are employed in various sections of the song that allow one to see exactly what multiple parts are being played at the same time in the song by Alex and Geddy. The picture clarity and sound quality are really nicely done on this classic. The other songs on the disc are "Red Barchetta" (a very cool song), "The Big Money", "Mystic Rhythms", and "Time Stand Still" (with a guest appearance by Aimee Mann). This DVD is absolutely essential for avid Rush fans, and, in my opinion, will make a very nice addition to the DVD collection of even mild Rush fans. And, of course, any serious musician should immediately appreciate seeing the instrumental virtuosity and talents of Neil Peart (drums), Alex Lifeson (guitar), and Geddy Lee (bass guitar, synthesizers, and vocals). These guys are amazing... every one of them.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Total waste of money
Review: Let me start out by stating that I've been a loyal Rush fan since the early 80's, and still am. This DVD has the poorest production quality of any DVD ever! It's obviously something that a couple of people threw together in an hour (maybe less). I thought it was gonna be a concert video, but it's just a collection of their music videos.

There is noticable static on the Red Barchetta track (on a DVD???). Some of the videos don't fade out completely, they just start to fade, then freeze, and then end. The production company that made this is totally trying to rip off fans. This is certainly not representative of the band or their own production values.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A DVD for the true fan....until something better comes along
Review: As a long time Rush fan, ANYTHING on DVD is better than nothing. Just about every Rush video I have ever seen seems low-budget and, well, cheesy, except for their concert stuff. So what? You want the Backstreet Boys with cutesy sets and artsy direction or do you just want Rush banging away on "The Big Money"? I play this DVD without turning the TV on sometimes and it sounds as good or better than the original CDs/LPs. I have long held that Neil Peart is the greatest drummer in rock, and watching him in the "Time Stand Still" track should convince just about anybody of that fact. I happened to have an old VHS copy of "The Camera Eye" and the two 'never before released' DVD tracks, "Afterimage" and "The Enemy Within" were already on there, but it is nice to have DVD quality ones now. I thought some interviews or something from the band members was not too much to ask for in the 'special features' area, but there is nary a thing - a definate minus in the DVD world where additional material is standard. A DVD from "Different Stages"? We can only hope..... Anyway, buy this DVD if you love Rush, it is worth it, even with its faults.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: no need to rush
Review: Rush is the greatest band on the planet... musically. As a video band, they are abysmal. Every video here is either pure cheese or poor-quality concert footage. The overall quality isn't better than the VHS version, and the only extras are two additional videos that should've stayed in the vaults. Maybe this DVD is a good intro for new fans, but there's nothing different here to really offer the Rush fanatic.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sad but true
Review: I'll keep this short and to the point. While Rush is one of the greatest bands ever, this dvd is a disapointment. The quality is not very good and I play it on a $1300.00 dvd player. I am going to keep it as there is nothing else by Rush on dvd. But Mercury could have done them better justice. Shame Shame!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A farily good DVD collection of Rush
Review: Rush is an excellent, ground-breaking trio. Geddy Lee was a major reason, along with The Who's John Entwistle, why I picked up the electric bass in 1983. This DVD has very interesting moments, but the VHS-like video quality on a couple of selections on this DVD are a bit frustrating. Rush is one of the best, and hopefully when the powers-that-be re-release "Exit Stage Left" and their other concert videos on DVD, the quality won't vary as much and the DVDs will be longer in length. They could have put more videos on this DVD, especially a couple more from the "Exit Stage Left" tour. It's not an awful DVD, but it could have been a little bit better.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Rush Videos All In One Place
Review: Clearly the Rush collector will want a copy of this, especially since so little of their existing VHS releases have made their way to DVD yet. It is nicely put together, and includes two unseen videos.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Old age is not excuse for the poor video quality.
Review: The Who's 30 Years of Maximum R&B Live is chockfull of old, and I mean REALLY old clips, but the image is as close to pristine as it can be. And that DVD was over 2 1/2 hours!
But this RUSH CHRONICLES has barely one hour of material, the image quality is VHS-like and the sound quality is uneven.
I simply don't see why they couldn't tack ALL Rush videos into a single DVD (cause there aren't THAT many - apart from the ones missing, I also noticed the blatant lack of the SPIRITS OF THE RADIO clip), with nice sound AND polished image.
Sorry, Rush Rabies out there, but I have Video-CDs with better quality and more stuff than this scam. Boycott this DVD until they come to their senses and put something DECENT on the market.


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